Senate panel wants NDDC management arrested over N6.2b COVID- 19 palliatives
Lawan backs Buhari’s forensic audit
SENATE Committee on Ethics, Privilege and Public Petitions has resolved that a warrant of arrest be issued on the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC), Effiong Akwa, to appear before it and explain how N6.2b COVID- 19 palliatives was spent.
It also resolved to investigate alleged missing N27b for the payment of former workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria ( PHCN). Chairman of the Committee, Ayoade Akinyelure, frowned on Akwa’s failure to appear before it and respond to allegation that NDDC diverted N6.28b meant to procure COVID- 19 palliatives approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Niger Delta region.
The committee had summoned the NDDC four times after it received a petition submitted from Chairman of NDDC COVID- 19 Palliative Distribution Committee, Chief Sobomavo Jackrich, alleging that the Interim Management Committee ( IMC) of the NDDC mismanaged the N6.28b approved as pallia - tives for the region.
Speaking after the hearing, Sobomabo told journalists how much effort and resources he invested in coordinate the palliatives before the NDDC management al - legedly misappropriated the funds.
“I was appointed the palliative Chairman, but when the
Federal Government released N6.2b, the NDDC management spent the money without my knowledge,” he said.
On the alleged missing N27b PHCN workers’ pension money, the committee directed the National Association of Disengaged Staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria to provide further document to substantiate its allegations to facilitate the investigation. Akinyelure assured that his committee would leave no stone unturned to ensure that justice is done in matter once enough documents are made available to support their petition .
The Bureau of Public Enterprises ( BPE) had also earlier written to disown a private company, which it hired to pay the money to the formers workers . Emmanuel Okere, who represented the former PHCN workers told the committee that he had tried to meet the BPE several times to discuss the issue, adding that the Bureau refused to create the opportunity for dialogue.